An amateur swimmer who lost his dad to brain cancer has completed an incredible journey to help find a cure for the disease.
Ben Rosenberg successfully navigated 21 miles of the English Channel to complete his challenge, braving chilly water temperatures of 16-17 degrees. He set off from Dover at 6am last Thursday (18th July) and reached the French shoreline 13 hours and 16 minutes later.
The challenge – which has been completed by fewer people than have climbed Mount Everest – usually takes an average of 13-and-a-half hours to complete and is the equivalent of swimming 1,352 lengths of a 25-metre pool. Because he stuck to Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation rules, Ben could not wear a wetsuit and completed his challenge in only standard swimwear, cap and goggles.
He has raised more than £23,000 for Brain Tumour Research inspired by his dad, Ray, who died in 2001, following a six-year battle with glioblastoma (GBM).
“I was a 22-year-old student when my dad passed away and I was flung into an alternate dimension. Time isn’t a healer, just an anaesthetic. Dad died, never getting to meet his grandchildren. They’ve only heard stories which is why doing something like this is important; keeping his memory alive,” Ben said.
It’s not the first time Ben (pictured above with his dad and brother, Simon) has taken to the water to fundraise for the charity. Five years ago, he raised £10,000 by taking part in the four-mile Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swim in Turkey.
He added: “Our family was bereaved because of a brain tumour more than two decades ago, and still today, families are losing loved ones to this disease. Funding into researching brain tumours has not been prioritised. I want to bring this to people’s attention so that together we can make a change and help Brain Tumour Research in its mission to find a cure for all types of brain tumours.”
There’s still time to support Ben’s fundraising. If you’d like to make a donation, please click here to visit his JustGiving page.
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